BUILDING WORKFORCE CONNECTIONS CONSTRUCTING UTAH’S PROSPEROUS FUTURE BY JARED MENDENHALL, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE SERVICES
U
tah continues to be a place where people can build healthy communities and enjoy economic prosperity. The foundation of these opportunities is grounded in years of steady economic growth, sound policy and a culture of hard work. The American Dream is alive and well in the Beehive State.
A JOB CANDIDATE IN MIND Construction is a ballet of labor and materials; done with artistry, it is a masterpiece. However, when a project is a mess, budgets spiral out of control and deadlines get missed, the whole dance falls apart.
reach out to the Department of Workforce Services and see if they could find a good, quality candidate.”
“He could have worked out as a crane operator,” said McBride, “But we noticed he had greater value.”
The Department quickly connected McBride to a potential candidate. The candidate had migrated to Utah from the Dominican Republic. After failed attempts at starting a career in finance, the field he worked in back home, he came to Workforce Services looking to find a job fast. Collaborating with his employment specialist, he decided to shift directions and train for a commercial driver’s license. A few weeks into his training he was sitting across the table from McBride, interviewing to operate a crane.
What Morin needed was someone to organize its large-scale projects. After a brief discussion, he was hired as a project manager. A short time into the job, the new project manager noticed a more efficient way to manage the lumber and materials flowing in and out at Morin, helping identify a $200,000 overpayment right away. “We’re a small, entrepreneurial company,” says McBride. "We need self-starters and he fits the bill. He kept asking questions about inventory, jumped into it head first and exceeded our expectations.”
Mitch McBride is the director of operations for Morin Construction, a large-scale framing contractor, and knows a thing or two about this dance. Morin erects the wood framing of buildings — usually big buildings — including multifamily housing, senior living facilities, hotels, hospitals and student housing. McBride is the first to tell you that in this type of work, success boils down to how well a project is managed and staffed.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING The candidate was part of a statewide employment program called On-the-Job Training (OJT), which offers reimbursement to employers who provide customized job training. Under the program, Workforce Services helps employers screen applicants and, for those who are eligible, reimburses up to 50% of a new employee's training wages. And, at the end, the employer has a custom-trained, full-time employee.
SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYERS AND JOB SEEKERS
“One day Mitch had this idea,” said Greydn Morin, general contractor and CEO of Morin. “He wanted to
During the interview, Morin and McBride got to talking with the candidate about his experience in finance.
• Statewide virtual job fairs and onsite recruitments
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LIFE IN UTAH 2024 | SLCHAMBER.com
Workforce Services ensures this same type of meaningful assistance to job seekers accessing services in any of its 30 statewide employment centers or online at jobs.utah.gov. There are also targeted resources available to assist employers in their recruitment and retention efforts, including:
